The Limited Times

Now you can see non-English news...

They were imprisoned and they ask that feminism reaches the prisons

2021-03-10T09:58:40.838Z


'We come from hell', they say. And they assure that the movement "should go beyond the walls", because there they violate their rights.


Nahuel Gallotta

03/10/2021 6:01 AM

  • Clarín.com

  • Police

Updated 03/10/2021 6:01 AM

“Today we are not all.

The prisoners are missing, ”says Nora Calandra, microphone in hand, former detainee, a reference for the Liberated, Liberated and Family members of the Excluded Workers Movement (MTE).

Speak at the corner of Solís and Hipólito Yrigoyen, a few meters from the Plaza del Congreso.

She is surrounded by dozens of former detainees, relatives of detainees and companions, in a circle. 

And further behind that circle, there are thousands of women from other social or political groups.

She refers to them now: “

The feminism that goes around never gave us a place

.

This is popular feminism.

It is what we do, from jail.

While in prison we have suffered a lot of things.

We come from hell

.

And we get up because we are women.

We were able to condemn two sentences: the judicial and the social ”.

For years, neighborhood social organizations have asked that the detainees be taken into account by feminism.

That they be included in the order list.

Only in Buenos Aires prisons, there are 1,940 women

.

In federal prisons (one in Buenos Aires, another in La Pampa and one in Salta), there are another 649.

Calandra (43) finishes his presentation, during the march for Women's Day, and talks with

Clarín

.

Remember that when she regained her freedom five years ago (she was released from Batán prison, after a six-year sentence for robbery), she encountered "the rise of feminism."

“There I thought: 'but in jail I didn't hear any of this.'

He had lived with abused, abused girls;

some were even about to defend themselves against abusive partners, or for having had an abortion.

Little by little I got in touch with the main groups and I felt that they had no notion of what the inmates suffer, ”he says.

Nora Calandra, at the March 8 march.

Photo Juan Manuel Foglia.

Some of those situations that Calandra raises, and other former detainees, are childbirth: detained women

give birth with an ankle handcuffed to the bed

.

In the judiciary there are many cases: women who are imprisoned just for being the partner of a trafficker.

Or husbands or boyfriends who escaped a raid and the police, upon entering, found weapons and / or drugs and detained the head of the household.

Or that they were arrested for being the only ones in the house.

Or that because they did not find out that their partners were abusing their daughters or granddaughters, they were accused of being accomplices, and convicted. 

"In prison we did a feminism without knowing that what we did was called that," he says. "Because if a colleague's mother died and they did not grant her permission to go out and fire her, we made trouble to get her removed.

And to the mother who did not have to celebrate her son's birthday (in the children's pavilions), we helped her with the cake and whatever she needed.

We helped others with their causes.

We were doing everything we could, "remarks Calandra.

Alfredo Cuellar is also in the Plaza.

His fight started for his daughter.

Her name was Florencia Cuellar, she was 23 years old and she appeared hanged in the Federal Penitentiary Complex 4 in Ezeiza.

It was the latest in a string of

nine violent deaths

 over three years (between 2009 and 2012).

As the main feminist movements emerged, she created a slogan.

His motto: "

Not one less in prisons too

." 

Alfredo Cuellar, father of Florencia, who died in the federal prison of Ezeiza in 2012. Photo Emmanuel Fernández.

"

Feminism should go beyond walls. Prisons are where women's rights are most violated,

" she says.

"The application of patriarchy through the laws is very strong. I have been going through the prisons for years. I estimate that 10% of the women committed serious crimes. The rest are to defend themselves from battering males, or by abortions, or by consumption, or for micro-trafficking. I have found detainees with very serious illnesses, pregnant women without treatment and even almost blind to those who were denied domiciliary '

due to the risk of flight

.' There is sexist violence in these places. "

Sandra Marina is a sociologist.

In addition, she gives workshops in the Ezeiza women's prison.

And she thinks: "In these contexts it becomes complex to think about feminisms. To transfer it to life in prison, more so. Because in a state confinement under the execution arm of the punishment by the Penitentiary Service, without any gender consideration,

these women They have no choice but to survive, as they can

. Interpellating from feminism the day to day in prison can be very romantic. Like the desire that all of them become aware of the autonomy of women against the oppressive patriarchal man ".

And he closes with a question: "Can we really think of feminism in prisons?"

The cry for Florencia "China" Cuellar, murdered in the Ezeiza prison.

"For the detained male, it is easier to access work in prison," Calandra retakes.

"It has more options for study, recreation, craft workshops. For women there are very few activities. They will put you to paint on a pottery or tasks of that style," he explains.

Another difference is in the number of visits to the prisons.

On the men's front, it's full of women.

Mothers, wives, partners, daughters, who are there to visit them.

In those of women, the line is very short.

And there are always women.

Men are not seen.

Finally, Calandra talks about women with ankle braces connected to the Penitentiary Service, who are serving a home sentence.

"Without the support of the State, it is a double-edged sword. Because they are heads of households, with many children, who cannot go out to work. Sometimes they have no choice but to sell drugs to support their children. Or prostitute themselves. They need a job. permission to go to work or to train in something ", closes. 

EMJ

Look also

8M: in its day, women demanded their rights with a massive march in front of Congress

His daughter stole and died in prison: the father who fights for "Not one less" in prisons

Source: clarin

All news articles on 2021-03-10

You may like

Trends 24h

Latest

© Communities 2019 - Privacy

The information on this site is from external sources that are not under our control.
The inclusion of any links does not necessarily imply a recommendation or endorse the views expressed within them.